Matthew Storer was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday on charges of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with minors.
Charlotte Caldwell | The Lima News
WAPAKONETA — An Auglaize County judge gave a St. Marys man the maximum prison sentence possible of 25 years after he previously pleaded guilty to third-degree felony charges of sexual battery and four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
With this sentence, Matthew Storer, 37, would be eligible to apply for judicial release after 12 1/2 years. He will also have to be registered as a tier-three sex offender for the rest of his life.
Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple said he chose to give Storer the maximum sentences of five years on each count rather than following the joint recommendation from the attorneys of two years on each count because the evidence showed Storer knew the victims for a while and was planning his abuse for three years before he acted on the plans.
Pepple said Storer was victimized by a 30-year-old in 2001 when he was 14. He thought Storer didn’t take full responsibility for his actions because he blamed some of it on his history of alcohol abuse. He said Storer used Snapchat to talk to the victims so the conversations would disappear.
“I’ve seen many people who were themselves victimized when they were kids, turn around and victimize others. I don’t consider that an excuse because it’s got to stop somewhere,” Pepple said. “But I think the way we stop that is proactively help those victims get the help that they need so that they can have healthy and law-abiding lives, so they don’t turn around and become predators of other children and other victims.”
He mentioned Storer’s “significant, lengthy history,” including selling/furnishing alcohol to a minor in 2009, three charges of driving while impaired and other alcohol offenses, and assault.
In a previous hearing, Auglaize County Assistant Prosecutor Benjamin Elder said the 17-, 14- and 13-year-old male victims were forced to perform fellatio on Storer.
Three victim impact statements were provided to the court, and a woman who knows a victim spoke at the sentencing. The Lima News doesn’t identify victims of sexual crimes or any other information that might identify them to protect them.
“He told me he was going to take it to the grave,” the woman said of the victim while looking directly at Storer from the witness stand. “He told me no one would believe him, people would think he was gay. He told me, ‘He took away my childhood.’ And you did. He went through such a dark path; he talked about killing himself many times, and I didn’t know why.”
The woman added, “How dare you take away his innocence. But you didn’t take away his sunshine, you didn’t take away his life. He’s going to school, he’s becoming the best man that he could possibly be for himself, and he’s not letting this hold him down. He’s healing, and I’m praying that you heal as well.”
The attorneys agreed the crimes would have a lasting impact.
“I don’t think anything we can do in the legal system will restore these young men before they became these victims as the impact will affect them for the rest of their lives, and I pray that each one of them will see their way through this and become better citizens as a result,” Elder said.
Storer’s attorney, Andrew Schuman, said, “As one said, 10 life sentences wouldn’t be enough. While prison would be a difficult challenge for anyone, it’s certainly going to be even more so for Mr. Storer due to the nature of these offenses and the retribution he may face from other inmates as a result of having committed sex offenses.”
Storer read a statement he wrote before sentencing.
“I hate myself for causing pain to others, and I’ve never wanted to be the reason for cries of sadness, but because of me, you are all here today, and that deeply hurts me, and you all deserve so much better. I brought shame to my community, pain to my friends and family as well as heartache,” Storer said. “I hope you all have the strength to heal and live a life of happiness from here on. I hope that someday I can look in the mirror and not hate the person looking back.
“I know there’s a long road ahead, and I know what I’ve done is unforgivable. I wish I could take it back and remove the pain I’ve caused all of you. I’m sorry.”
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
